1 comments about Insider Secrets To Diamond Dealing: How Real Money Is Made.

1. This book is an interesting read and it provides a lot of background industry information and makes veiled allussions to diamond smuggling and diamond trafficking and maybe this book would be helpful to someone who is buying rough diamonds on the black market in Zaire (I doubt that anyone doing this would need the tidbits of wisdom that this book has to offer, it all seems like pretty basic stuff), but if you are looking for a diamond for that special someone, this book is of almost no use to you.

   I bought this book thinking that it might contain a few tips on how I could buy diamonds at the insider price or maybe a few helpful hints on how to get a better deal or what sort of scams to look out for. I was wrong. Like I said -- an interesting read but ultimately not very useful.

3 comments about Collectible Costume Jewelry: ID and Value Guide.

1. There was nothing in this book but pictures and values of those pictures. The chances of having those exact pieces I would feel are about zero to zip. I thought this book would give you some idea what to look for and the value of collecting costume jewelry. I put it up for resale as soon as it arrived. I only wish I would of taken the time to read the other responses and then I would not of lost my money on this item.



2. I found this to be such a useless guide to collecting costume jewelry that it astounds me that this book is currently in its third edition. The only positive is that the photos are in full color. However, only a very limited range of pieces is illustrated. I found the selected pieces to be mediocre and totally uninteresting examples considering the range of vintage jewelry now available on the internet. Harrice Simons Miller's guide has mostly black-and-white photos but is a far more useful tool to the serious collector and a far better value for the money.



3. This book provides nice color pictures with a fair variety. However, I found that some of the values seem inaccurate, usually too high.

1 comments about Understanding Jewelry.

1. Please note that the spelling used in your listing does not match the spelling used on the cover of the book - Jewelery vs Jewellery - This made it harder to find the book. - ER

1 comments about Contemporary Japanese Jewelry.

1. This book is a catalogue of jewelry featured in an exhibition that toured the United Kingdom accompanying the "Japan 2001" festival. The pictures of personal ornamentation in this book will test how you define `jewelry.' Simplicity is thematic, giving the viewer an impression of movement in the swoops and curves shaping each piece. For example, ear ornaments do not hang from the earlobe but, instead, are shaped to the ear's interior, like a hearing aide, with a hole made for sounds to enter.

   Teruo Akatsu makes beads from dust, threading them onto stainless steel wire. I surely have a surplus of this raw material at my home. (You might recall that our San Antonio artist Sherry Fotopoulos has used dryer lint to create sculptures.)

   Tomomi Arata uses sand, enamel, silver, and gemstones to create rings that looks like they've been lost in an ancient shipwreck.

   Hiromasa Hashimoto strings liquid silver bugle beads on silicone cord to make a geometric necklace. Yuta Hataya fashions bracelets checkered by brass and silver.

   Mikiko Minewaki is the ultimate recycler, making rings from the ends of cigarette lighters and colored plastics.

   The above examples show just a few unusual materials used by these inventive artists, but you must see the book to know how the materials are rendered into spectacular jewelry ornaments.

No comments about Gemstones of the World (The Natural World Playing Card Collection).

5 comments about Painted Porcelain Jewelry and Buttons: Identification & Value Guide.

1. Wow, what an informative, helpful book if you have any interest in vintage jewelry or hand-painted porcelain. Wish I had some of the pieces featured here....



2. I read the reviews on this book prior to purchasing it. I also noted the reference to another book: LIVING WITH LIMOGES and I purchased it. Of course I compared the two. LIVING WITH LIMOGES is FANTASTIC and has an entire section on WEARING YOUR LIMOGES that is informative, professional and has fabulous photographs of thousands of hand painted pieces. The quality of Living With Limoges is much better than this book Painted Porcelain. I personally don't like paperback books and Painted Porcelain is a paperback. I thought I would enjoy both but my recommendation - don't bother spending the money on paperback reference books -- put your money toward the better book.



3. I love this book!! I also love Debby DuBay's book: LIVING WITH LIMOGES! Both authors "brooch" the subject of hand painted jewelry, buttons, brooches, hat pins, etc.!! A must for the collector.



4. The author has a wealth of information! (Too bad the publishing company made this a poor quality product, and a soft cover book. No justice to the content!)I love hand painted buttons and brooches and received this book and LIVING WITH LIMOGES which has a section on such, over the holidays. The two books have provided me with much information.



5. Dorothy Kamm's Painted Porcelain Jewelry And Buttons pairs gorgeous large color photos with a value guide to painted buttons and jewelry. The primarily-floral designs are gorgeous and are accompanied by the latest values.

1 comments about Masterpieces of Costume Jewelry (Schiffer Book for Collectors With Value Guide).

1. This book has some wonderful photographs, and lots of jewelry you won't see anywhere else. It covers many designers that are overlooked by many jewelry book authors. There is a lot of information in this book, making it as good for reading as it is for picture viewing.

No comments about American Silver at Winterthur (A Winterthur Book).

No comments about The Elegance of Old Silverplate and Some Personalities.

4 comments about Accessorizing The Bride: Vintage Wedding Finery Through The Decades.

1. Accessorizing the Bride is one of the most detailed and comprehensive coffee-table books I have ever seen. The author is meticulous in her description of each garment and article. The top-notch photography brings detail to life. This book is a must read for collectors, historians, or anyone interested in the evolution of wedding apparel.



2. Norma Shephard's book is a beautifully nostalgic tribute to the wedding fashions and trends of generations past and present. It is as delightful as it is informative.



3. Sentimental,enlightening and gorgeous. I especially liked the non-traditional wedding gowns and bridal stories.



4. Readers may find it difficult to believe that author Norma Shephard has such a magnificent collection of wedding accessories. And then to see them photographed so beautifully is almost beyond the realm of imagination. But it is true. Most artifacts exhibited in Accessorizing the Bride, Vintage Wedding Finery Through the Decades are part of the Mobile Millinery Museum's Wedding Collection and yes, she did all the photography in her tiny Burlington, Ontario studio.
   What makes this coffee table book so fascinating? It may be the detailed pictures of fabrics, styles, hues, beads, sequins and lace. Or it may be the memories and dreams that it ignites as we flip from era to era and maybe for the first time experience what grandmother or greatgran or even her mother may have worn on her wedding day.
   If a bride-to-be is lucky enough to view this book before she's selected her gown and accessories, it may help her decide about a veil, train, headpiece, waistline or hemline.
   And for the many ladies who donated or loaned gowns to the Mobile Millinery Museum's Wedding Collection, the book takes on a magical quality of pride and appreciation to know that their wedding finery is being admired all around the world.
   What Shephard shows she also tells and her apparent wealth of knowledge goes beyond fashion. Between the lines of real-life stories, anecdotes and progression of style, she subtly integrates the social history of women's movements, traditions, issues and advancements.
   Collectors, historians, curators and fashion aficionados will devour this tome of information and illustration, but Accessorizing the Bride, Vintage Wedding Finery Through the Decades offers more than that. While many wedding books feature gowns of celebrities, this issue credits everyday women like you and me with the ability to select, design or create that special gown for that very special day.
   Whether chosen as a reference or as a keepsake, this is one high quality coffee table book that will be opened over and over for second, third, fourth and more perusals.